A New Mission

Danzo saying this, Danzo closed his eyes slightly and fell silent.

Sakura Haruno's eyes narrowed, and a murderous aura almost emanated from her.

When she sat silently to the side, she was as serene as a summer flower; but now, suddenly enraged, her aura and killing intent were as sharp as a knife, making people feel uneasy. Even an ordinary Jonin would probably be terrified! However, those present were all veteran ninjas who had experienced countless battles and were able to deal with it calmly; Danzo, who was Danzo Sakura Haruno's killing intent, did not react at all, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Ahem," Tsunade twice and said, "Sakura, calm down."

"I'm sorry, I lost my temper." Sakura Haruno suppressed her aura and suppressed her killing intent, speaking coldly without any remorse.

Everyone present remained silent, seemingly pretending not to have seen anything.

Mitokado Homura thought for a moment and then offered his opinion, "Shimura's idea is to use Sasuke as bait to lure Orochimaru out... As long as there is enough support nearby, it's a good idea."

"Sakura, don't look at Sasuke with old eyes. Sasuke is very strong now." Tsunade nodded. "His current strength is considered top-tier even in the Anbu, and he also has Mitsudomoe Sharingan. Orochimaru won't find it easy to take him down. Using Sasuke as bait makes the safety issue less serious; it's actually a feasible option!"

Sakura Haruno frowned slightly, glanced at her master and Mito, and said, "What about the reinforcements? If there are too many, Orochimaru will find them; if there are too few, they probably won't be able to catch Orochimaru."

"How about Team 7 taking on this mission?" the Third Hokage suddenly interjected. "Naruto should be back by the end of this year or early next year, and your duties as team leader will probably be over by then. It's most suitable to entrust this mission to Team 7!"

Sakura was slightly taken aback.

Will Team 7 go to complete this mission? Will she, Naruto, and Sasuke carry it out together...?

There's absolutely no problem with their strength. In another six months or so, Naruto and Sasuke will probably be at Kakashi's level... Even if Orochimaru creates a few more "Kage" through Impure World Reincarnation Tensei, Team 7 will have absolutely nothing to fear!

This seems like something to look forward to!

The long-awaited Team 7 reunites!

"That's a good suggestion." Tsunade pondered for a moment and added, "However, that's at least half a year from now. Before that, let's send out the Anbu to secretly investigate where Orochimaru might be active."

His beautiful eyes lingered on the girl for a moment. The Fifth Hokage thought to himself, "If Team 7 were reunited, their fighting strength would be among the best in Konoha. Their teamwork is also excellent. It would be a waste to use them only against Orochimaru; they should be able to accomplish much more difficult tasks..."

They probably want to reorganize Team 7 themselves.

Tsunade suppressed her thoughts for the time being and continued, "Let's leave the Orochimaru issue here for now, shall we? Are there any other questions about this matter?"

The crowd either shook their heads or remained silent.

The Fifth Hokage then continued, "Then, let's move on to the next topic: the issue of contacting Kirigakure."

Upon hearing this, Sakura Haruno thought she should leave. She barely moved her Tsunade pressed her down, the blonde woman whispering, "This concerns you, don't leave yet."

Sakura sat there somewhat bewildered. The Third Hokage handed her the last document. The girl picked it up and saw that it was a copy of Kakashi's mission report to the Land of Water.

The document is classified as "Secret" and bears the joint signatures of Kakashi, Shino, Sasuke, and Hinata.

Sakura opened the cover of the secret file, and Kakashi's familiar handwriting came into view. It described the mission process over the past two months: their mission was uneventful, and they did not encounter any battles along the way.

The Mist Ninja didn't set a trap; they had truly changed.

Since there wasn't anything particularly special about it, Kakashi wrote down his mission briefing like a diary entry.

Especially during the period after entering Kirigakure, they basically spent their days "eating, sleeping, and spacing out, with nothing unusual happening." Sometimes the Mist Ninja would arrange some activities, such as taking them on a tour of the village or letting them witness the Mist Ninja's ninja exams, which showcased the power of the Mist Ninja.

The entire mission can be summarized in two sentences: Team Kakashi cautiously approached the Land of Water and the Kirigakure, observed for a long time, found nothing wrong, and then went in; the Kirigakure received them, then left Team Kakashi aside, engaging in intense internal discussions for several weeks before finalizing their official reply to Konoha.

From the Mist Ninja's reaction, Sakura could clearly sense Mist Ninja complex mindset, a mixture of inferiority and arrogance. They were confused and somewhat apprehensive about their strategy of opening up the village, knowing that past policies had to be abandoned, but also worried that the new policies would not be effective and might even lead to worse results than before.

However, they ultimately decided to take this step, end their isolationist policy, and establish contact with the outside world.

After briefly explaining the mission, Tsunade said, "We can now preliminarily conclude that Kirigakure's policy of opening up the village is not empty talk or a trap; they do intend to do so. So, how should we proceed? Do any of the advisors and elders have any opinions or suggestions?"

The elderly people exchanged glances.

"Now that the situation is clear, let's proceed as planned," the Third Hokage said calmly. "At this point, there's no point in hesitating. I think Kirigakure truly needs to change its name from 'Bloody Mist Village'!"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Since everyone agrees, the next step, as planned, is to continue strengthening communication. This time, we don't need to send elite ninjas to form a team; let's show them a little goodwill," Tsunade said, looking around at everyone. "This time, let's send a team of Jonin with a group of Genin. With the children there, they should be able to feel our sincerity."

"Jonin Genin with a Genin squad is indeed a good idea. Compared to an all-elite Anbu, this kind of team is less aggressive, and their strength is sufficient to handle ordinary emergencies," said Mitokado Homura. He adjusted his glasses and glanced around. "But, who should we send?"

Currently, there aren't many Genin teams in Konoha led by Jonin.

Generally speaking, only ninjas with good talents will be assigned to the Jonin's squad, and such squads are very rare; ninjas with little talent can only be assigned to the Chunin's squad. Valuable Jonin resources will not be wasted on them, and such squads are plentiful.

Therefore, sending a Genin team led by Jonin is indeed a good way to show goodwill: Jonin who brings a kid along is definitely not here to cause trouble.

Perfect timing, there's a class that would be perfect to send there.

They are very strong, and, including the Jonin the team, they all seem harmless.

Everyone remained silent.

The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke and slowly said, "How about sending Sakura Haruno's Team?"

This mission was risky, and the Third Hokage was well aware of this: Sakura Haruno was only a newly promoted "Kage" level, and Kirigakure had only just begun to resume contact with Konoha; the possibility of unforeseen events could not be ignored.

His only grandson, Konohamaru, is in Sakura Haruno's Team.

The Third Hokage's wife, Biwako, died during the Nine-Tails mission, and his eldest son and daughter-in-law also sacrificed themselves shortly afterward in a mission; Konohamaru and Asuma were his only remaining family.

So... what was the Third Hokage's mindset when he said such a thing?

"Or, I could just go alone, Third Lord Hokage," Sakura Haruno couldn't help but say.

With her abilities, she could probably brave any danger, even the most dangerous places... right?

Koharu Utatane also said, "Or perhaps we could have Sakura Haruno, Jonin lead another Genin group over?"

The Third Hokage shook his head.

He tapped his pipe on the table and said solemnly, "Konohamaru cannot receive special treatment just because his grandfather was once Hokage. This is absolutely unacceptable! There has never been such a precedent before, there cannot be now, and there will never be in the future! When carrying out missions, his identity is that of Konoha Ninja, and only Konoha Ninja, not the grandson of the Third Hokage!"

His tone was heavy, carrying an undeniable firmness.

"As expected of the Third Hokage," Sakura Haruno thought to herself as she glanced at him.

"The responsibilities that Konoha Ninja should bear, Konohamaru must shoulder. No mission is without danger! If I only wanted him to grow up safely, I wouldn't have let him graduate from the Ninja Academy." The Third Hokage paused, exchanged glances with the others, and continued, "Furthermore, I believe the transformation of Kirigakure is genuine. I also trust Sakura's abilities; even if something changes, Sakura can take care of those three children."

"Sakura, I'm counting on you."

"Then, Sakura Haruno Jonin," Mitokado Homura turned to Sakura and said, "How about you take on this mission as the leader?"

Sakura Haruno smiled gently.

Leave it to me.

If she can't do it, then there's no suitable Genin Konoha take on this mission.

Tsunade glanced at everyone and nodded.

"Then it's decided," she said. "The mission will probably depart in about a week. We still need to discuss this at the Jonin Expansion Meeting, which will give your team some time to prepare."

Tsunade looked at her disciple, who gave her a serene and confident smile.

The Fifth Hokage patted Sakura Haruno on the shoulder. "That's all for you. Go about your business!"

Sakura understood and turned to leave the meeting room.

"Well then, let's discuss how to respond to that Mei Terumi." Tsunade took out a handwritten letter from the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, and rubbed her temples. "That woman is not easy to deal with..."

Danzo suddenly stood up. "Excuse me, the following topic is not related to me or Root. I have important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. Farewell."

Tsunade frowned, watching his departing figure, lost in thought.

She and the Third Hokage exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.

(Second update! Bonus chapter for 400 monthly votes!)

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